Three or Five Blades: How to Pick the Perfect Razor for Men
When shopping for the best razor for men, five blades are often seen as superior to making use of just three, mainly because the pressure you are applying is spread out to more blades. This is the opinion of companies that market 5 blades.
On the other hand, the average guy may view things differently regarding which is better — 3 blades or 5 blades. Each additional blade you make use of will add to your irritation. After all, why bother with 5 blades when you can use only 3 blades? How can the extra two blades make a difference when cutting your beard when there is hardly any hair left.
What Do You Currently Use to Shave — 3 Blade or 5 Blade Razors?
Are you happy with the shaving method and number of blades you use for your daily regimen, or have skin irritation and shaving discomfort began to haunt you?
Many guys do not put much thought into which shaving tool is ideal, even though it may mean that their skin would be much healthier and would prevent unwelcome irritation.
Many may think all razors do the same thing and making use of either a single-blade, multi-blades such as 3-blades or 5-blades won't make much of a difference.
In our opinion, every guy should feel overjoyed at the prospect of engaging in a morning shave and not view it as dreadful chore where they are prone to cuts, nicks or sitting with ingrown hairs afterward.
Do You Need More Blades to Give You a Closer Shave?
A well-known blade manufacturer reasoned that having multiple blades would do a much better job than one or two blades can do. This notion led to the straight or safety razor where the first blade would hook your hair follicles and pull it up, then the second would cut it right off, while the third blade would serve as a backup to ensure there is nothing left.
But, what happens if you add more blades — say four, five, or even six blades? The problem is as you add more blades, the chances are that you will experience skin irritation, razor burn, ingrown hairs, and nicks.
What the Experts Say About Multiple Blade Shaving
More blades may very well mean you will face more nicks along the way — even when using shaving cream. This is not totally incorrect. Some dermatologists suggest that one should not use more than two blades if you want to avoid nicks. The thing is when the razor heads encounter more areas on a sharp curve, it becomes more challenging to control. Once the blade catches the surface, you are more likely than not to nick yourself.
Nicks may also occur once you push the razor down on the fat underneath the area you're shaving. This way, you force the skin into a bump right in front of the blades and you get nicked.
Safety razors ensure the surface gets flattened in front of the blade, thereby flattening the hill. In effect, the hill problem is addressed through a downward force that is spread over 5 blades. According to people in the know, if you want to avoid nicks, you must shave gently.
Say Goodbye to Razor Burn and Ingrown Hairs
Another uncomfortable experience you would in all likelihood want to avoid is ingrown hairs. This is something you may encounter with a close shave. The way it happens is like this; When shaving this way, the hair goes below the skin surface into the follicle. Should you slice it at an angle, the hair can easily settle into the surrounding skin.
Men's neck and chin hairs tend to grow at an angle and will turn into an ingrown hair. This is particularly true of African-American men, who struggle with scarring issues. They may be fortunate enough to escape this issue if they shave daily, as this prevents the hair from growing long enough to the point where it will re-enter the skin to form ingrown hairs.
Due to this, dermatologists suggest people grow out their beards, and if they must shave, it is best if they utilize a 5-blade shaver to ensure a closer shave.
As you can see, different strokes for different folks. Our advice to you is to experiment with a 3-blade shaver and if it works for you, stick with it. In case, you experience difficulty, try your hand with a 5-blade razor and if you feel good about it, continue using it.
Resources— How Stuff Works, Rockwell Razors
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